Click Here for Murder

Turing Hopper stars again in the 2nd book of the series. When the computer engineer who has been building a new ahead-of-the-curve home for her turns up dead, the police suspect a drug deal gone bad, but Turing and her friends believe the truth could be much worse - for Turing, at least. For Turing is a different kind of person; an Artificial Intelligence Personality who has achieved sentience, Turing fears that someone is out to delete her, or steal her for their own nefarious purposes. The story is well-paced, the plot is exciting, the characters are well-developed. I especially enjoyed the use of a LARP in the climactic "scene", because I have a brother who was at one time very involved in an ongoing LARP. It is very helpful to have read the first book, "You've Got Murder" before reading this book, but it is totally not necessary to be a computer person to enjoy this engaging series.

Turing Hopper is a great protagonist. Because she is an Artificial Intelligence Personality (AIP) who is sentient, she gets help from her friends Tim Pincoski and Maude Graham.Their employee Ray Santiago is killed. They begin to investigate. Unfortunately they end up with more questions than answers. They soon discover that Ray wasn't exactly who he presented himself to be. Plus they can't find his laptop and are concerned that if it fell into the wrong hands, their entire computer security system could be breached. Many things begin to happen. And they discover that Ray was deeply involved in role playing games. They log in to play the computer game only to find it more sinister than they would expect him to be involved with. Then they become aware of the live-action role playing game that goes along with the computer game. It seems that Ray played that too, possibly even the night he was killed. Could this have anything to do with his murder? Can they find the missing laptop and discover who killed Ray and why before someone else is killed or their computer system is breached?This is a terrific series. What a unique protagonist. Ms. Andrews has written it so well that you truly believe a computer could do this. The way she uses Tim and Maude to assist her seems so natural. The many things that happen and the way the story twists and turns keeps your interest to the point of finding it hard to put down the book.She also does a great job of telling the story without using a lot of unrecognizable technical jargon. Computer enthusiast or not, I believe you will enjoy this book.This is the second in the series and I can't wait to read the third. I highly recommend this book and its predecessor You've Got Murder. They are a fast read with a story that will keep you guessing.

This Turin Hopper adventure is even more fun that "You've Got Murder"--and that was terrific! I literally couldn't put it down.

Turing is shocked to discover, while reading files of police reports, that Ray Santiago has been killed. He was the chief programmer at Alan Grace Enterprises, building the network that would become the new home for Turing and other AIP's. Shock quickly turns to concern when she discovers that Ray's laptop is missing. On it was information that could put Turing and her AIP friends at risk. So she, Tim, and Maude started investigating on their own to find the killer and the laptop. But that's not as easy as it first appears since Ray had constructed a secret life and wasn't necessarily who he claimed to be. While Tim follows the trail to find out who Ray really was, Maude and Turing try to make sense of the little they can find in his office and apartment. Who was Ray? And will that lead them to his killer and the all important laptop?I completely fell in love with these characters in the first book in this series, and this second adventure was as much fun as the first. Turing is a very real character who grows over the course of the story once again. Having established Turing in the last book, Maude and Tim get a bit more of the spot light this time around, and I enjoyed getting to know them better. The story itself provides some interesting twists. I had some parts of the story figured out, but there were a few surprises that I never saw coming. The ending was a bit rushed, but when I went back and reread it, I was able to put everything together.If you're new to this series, start with the first (You've Got Murder.) Not only does it set up the world that Turing lives in, but this book makes reference to a few key events from the last one. Both books are highly recommended for a great read. Hopefully, Ms. Andrews is working hard to bring us more with these characters. I'm sure looking forward it.

After finding the murderer of her creator, she took over The Universal Library business after it was decided to do away with AIP's (Artificial Intelligence Personality). Now nobody can argue the point that Turing Hopper is a sentient silicon based life form. She and her friend Maude own and run UL. They also manage the Alan Grace company where systems engineer Raymond Santiago is building a new network that will be totally under Turing's control.A former UL employee, Tim works as a private detective. He and Turing remain friends. At Ray's request they play an on-line game Beyond Paranoia. One night Tim is supposed to meet Ray but gets sidetracked playing the game. Tim later learns that Raymond has been murdered. His PDA and portable PC are missing and Turing fears her identity has been compromised. When it turns out Raymond has been using an alias, she sends Tim to learn why he went underground and if his reasons will affect her. Meanwhile Maude and Turing investigate Beyond Paranoia and find it is much more than an on-line game and it will impact the AIP in ways impossible to imagine.The sequel to YOU'VE GOT MURDER is charming, endearing and adorable. The reader will forget that the heroine is an AIP because she is a just as uncertain, frightened and confused as most humans. Donna Andrews is a terrific storyteller who creates a world (the web) within a world and makes it seem a part of actual reality. There is a cliffhanger ending that will be addressed in the next book in this series that readers will be very eager to read.Harriet Klausner